


In A Boat Away From Home (?)

by Business_Inator99



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Air Nomads (Avatar), Earth Kingdom (Avatar), F/F, F/M, Fire Nation (Avatar), Fire Nation Royal Family, Fluff, M/M, Northern Water Tribe, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Southern Water Tribe, Water Tribe(s) (Avatar), Western Air Temple, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-01-04 19:16:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21202700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Business_Inator99/pseuds/Business_Inator99
Summary: The Fire Nation was attacking Sokka's tribe, and his mother was nowhere to be found. Despite the fear, Sokka snuck in the Fire Navy ship to search for her. It was very foolish of him but when he understood they did not have his mother, it was too late to turn back.That's how he met Prince Zuko who didn't appear to be that bad, for a fire nation kid. He helped him blend in and out of the cruiser, which prompted an everlasting friendship. And while the kid was a little obsessed with honour, Sokka could make do.His father was a different matter.





	1. Making Friends (Kind of) with the Enemy

Smoke coming from the Fire Navy ships clouded the otherwise blue sky.  His father had always insisted people from the Fire Nation brought nothing but trouble, today Sokka might  just  believe him. Some elders, adults and even kids were being grouped and taken into the ships.  Fortunately, his sister Katara was with Gran-Gran, safe in one of the igloos. His father was fighting with other warriors but there was no sign of his mother. 

Amidst the chaos, no one noticed Sokka slipping away towards the ship. If she wasn't fighting or hiding, she must have got caught.  She was in trouble, and Sokka knew he was the only one that could save her since his Gran-Gran was watching Katara who couldn't fight, and his dad was fighting for them all. 

The plan was simple: he was going to sneak in, look around for his mom, find her, free her,  maybe  free the other prisoners, and get out.

He smirked with determination and while the smoke covered his tail, he ran towards the ramp on the Navy main ship and crossed into enemy territory.

* * *

As it turned out, the ship was bigger than he had  previously  imagined.  It was also  practically  a maze where all corridors looked the same so he couldn't be sure if he wasn't walking in circles. What was very odd was the lack of guards preventing a 9-year-old enemy kid enter and roam around freely.

Perhaps  they were all down in the tribe, Sokka wondered, though there weren't  nearly  enough people to fill the ship. But who was he to know how many people travelled in these ships in the Fire Nation.

He continued walking, sticking his ear on every door hoping to hear his mother or any other prisoner that would lead him to her. And when he heard someone coming from the hall, he didn't stop to consider that they might be Fire Nation guards and rushed to them, asking a little desperate, "Have you seen my mother?"

The boy dressed in Fire Nation attire in front of him blinked a few times in surprise before shooking his head slowly. "You shouldn't be here," said he cautiously.

Sokka thought that seemed a little unfair considering the boy looked around his age. "Do you know where they keep the prisoners? My mom must be with them!" Sokka insisted. 

Realization settled into the boy. "Oh," said he, pursing his lips. "I think I know the place. But you have to get off immediately, the ship could sail anytime now." 

A bright smile appeared in Sokka's face as he nodded  vehemently. "I promise, and, by the way, my name is Sokka."

"Zuko."

Sokka followed Zuko around the ship, hoping that he wasn't walking into a trap.  The kid was a little awkward every time Sokka tried to talk to him and it was clear he didn't know how to hold a conversation given that he  mostly  replied in monosyllables, but he hadn't tried to kill him so far. It was obvious he was from the Fire Nation, and from a very important family since he walked like he owned the very place.

In the tribe, they had taught him that people from the Fire Nation would stab you in the back at the first sign of weakness, Zuko seemed to not fit the mould. 

They had walked down the ship, avoiding the guards and main points where other people were sure to pass and ventured into what seemed to be a very dark boiler room in one of the lowest floors.

"I.. uh, heard Commander Tosisi — you  probably  don't know her — tell a guard to bring the prisoners here..." Zuko explained himself when Sokka threw him a questioning look, "but the is no one in here so I guess they moved them." 

Sokka looked around the room full of ashes, something wasn't right and he knew it. He  just  didn't know what. It was frustrating. 

"Sokka let's go, the ship will sail in any minute, we've been down here too long. People are coming back on board, so someone will notice." 

He ignored him and carried on inspecting the room until he tripped over some kind of rag, falling to the ground. 

"Ah!" he grumbled  angrily.

Sokka glared at the burned rag before he recognized the fabric. It was a Water Tribe skirt — or what  was left  of it.  Penguin skin had been sewn with the normal blue fabric to give it double protection from the snow and the cold The next issue was that only one person in the tribe used that clothes, and it had been Yalo, a kind young woman that would babysit Katara and him whenever their parents and Gran-Gran couldn't take care of them. She had been using that same skirt earlier that day, so how did it got here and all burned up? 

The answer came as comforting as a punch to the throat with a cactus, and he couldn't stop the tears coming through. If this had been the fate of all the prisoners that would mean that his mother — 

"What, what happened?" Zuko asked, concerned. "Are you okay?

"No, nothing is okay!" he cried. "Don't you understand? They didn't move the prisoners! These ashes are what's left of them!"

Zuko seemed to go through all stages of grief in a minute; first looking confused, then angry and insisting that he would talk to his father for an explanation, sadness flashed  just  as  quickly  but Sokka couldn't tell if it  was directed  at him or the ashes of the people until acceptance came mixed with guilt. Sokka had stayed in an angry and somewhat depressing mood.

"I — " he said, but  was cut  off by footsteps and a pair of voices from the hall. Luckily, the door  was closed  so they wouldn't  be discovered  as long as they stayed silent.

"We are finally going home!" a man's voice exclaimed. "I miss my children, Yigon."

"I'm sure you'll see them soon, Tokeh," said another man with a strained voice.

"What now? Are you still mad at me because I killed those people? Those were orders, Yigon."

"You didn't seem to mind them one bit."

Tokeh groaned. "Look, let's not talk about that, alright? What happened on the Water Tribe, stays there. Now, we need to find the prince. That brat always gives me a headache but until we reach the shore, he is my responsibility." 

"The prince is not that bad," Yigon laughed, the last argument  seemingly  forgotten. "Sure, he has a big mouth and crazy ideas that will  probably  get him in trouble someday, but he is still a kid." 

"I can't believe Commander Tosisi is alright with having a kid on board," said Tokeh.

"Those were Fire Lord Azulon's orders," Yigon stated, "and Agni speaks through him so he must have had his reasons for bringing Prince Zuko."

Sokka's first thought was that Yigon and Tokeh were hypocrites, being that Tokeh was the first to pass murder as an order but having a kid on a blinded ship, with all the guards offering him protection was as far he could take. And Yigon talked about orders when he was the first to question them, though, in his defence, he had kind of questioned the murder order so Sokka supposed he wasn't that bad.

The second was the incredible realization of Zuko's status. He had thought that Zuko was an oddly kind Fire Nation rich kid, but it turned out that his grandfather was the Lord of Evil. He was the oddly kind Fire Nation rich kid. But that explained how he acted like he owned the place and it was because he probably did.

Yigon and Tokeh continued walking and only when Sokka was sure that nobody was outside, he said, "so you are prince, huh ?"

Zuko decided not to comment, nodding after a moment of hesitation. "My father is Prince Ozai so I won't inherit the throne if that's what you are implying."

Silence followed, they both knew they couldn't be there much longer for Tokeh and  surely  other guards should be looking for Zuko, but they didn't know where to go. The ship had already parted from the South Pole.

"Is it okay if we go to my room?" Zuko inquired  tentatively. "They never enter unless I tell them to."

Sokka sighed, knowing they didn't have many options there. "Yeah, okay," said he, wiping away any remnant of the tears shed earlier.

Zuko went out and Sokka followed, they had a few close calls since there were more guards aboard but managed to get into Zuko's bedchambers unnoticed.

"Where's the ship heading?" Sokka asked as soon as Zuko's door closed.

Zuko bit his lip. "Fire Nation."

Sokka replied with a grimace. Why did he have to aboard the ship? He had tried to save his mother but to no avail, only managing to abandon the rest of his family for who knows how long.

"We need a plan," Zuko stated, looking him in the eyes with a determination he hadn't seen before. "Nobody  was supposed  to die on this trip.  Just  check out the colonies, go to the Water Tribe to inspect if it would be worth conquering it, and return — and before you say anything, they won't do anything to your village. It's too cold for us. But it was a simple mission, no one  was supposed  to get hurt. They did say there were orders...  maybe  that's why they didn't want me wandering outside the royal quarters, so I wouldn't stumble upon them."

"Why do we need a plan, though?" Sokka asked with a lump in his throat, picking up something that wasn't there before: sympathy.

"Did these people initiated the fight? What did they do to get themselves killed?" Zuko continued to ramble, but this time it  was aimed  at him.

"No!  We were having dinner when your ship destroys a couple of huts and some guy in a uniform yells 'give me your benders or suffer the consequences!' " Sokka replies, indignant.

"So it was only the benders that they targeted?" Zuko seemed confused, as far as he knew, the Fire Nation didn't have an anti-benders policy. Else, he  probably  would have known, as he was a bender himself. Pathetic as he might be, he could still bend some flames. Plus, Fire Lord Azulon wouldn't put that in place, he was also a bender himself.

"Yes, now, why do we need a plan?" Sokka asked  impatiently.

Zuko took a moment to breathe deeply. "I'm sorry to tell you this but since we are not going to conquer your village, we will most likely not set a foot there again, which means — "

"I won't go home," Sokka said wobbly, "ever."

"Maybe not ever!" Zuko hurriedly cut in. "I promise I'll try to send you home but I'm not sure how much that will take. It's just temporarily."

"I still don't get why do we need a plan for," Sokka mumbled.

"Well, not a plan exactly," Zuko clarified, "but we need a story for when someone asks where you come from and why are you here."

Sokka understood what he meant. A kid appearing out of nowhere would cause suspicion, especially if that kid was near the prince. The story had to be believable or else who knows what these bloodthirsty Fire Nation people would do to him.  Though, now Sokka knew not all people from the Fire Nation where awful: Zuko was helping him even though he  probably  knew the risks of what they were going to do.

"I, uh, assume you have an idea?" Sokka inquired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp, that's the first chapter. I hope you liked it!


	2. New Member to the Family

The boys entertained themselves with some Fire Nation board games and Water Tribe card games until the end of the trip, pausing to sleep, go to the bathroom and eat — Zuko had ordered the cooks to bring him two plates of food to his room and briefly shouted at everyone that tried to question his order before closing his door on their faces. Sokka understood quite fastly that Zuko was a bit of a spoilt brat.

Once they arrived at the port, Zuko lent him some of his clothes to seal the image they were trying to make and revised the plan once more with him but before they could finish, they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Prince Zuko, we have arrived at our destination. Fire Lord Azulon and your father are waiting for you inside the Royal Palace," a voice said from the other side.

Zuko adjusted his robes and took his sweet time to open the door. "Tell my father I am bringing a guest," he said and didn't give the guard time to reply before strolling down the hallway with Sokka walking proudly at his tow.

* * *

No one had questioned Sokka sudden appearance but he suspected that was because they didn't have the necessary rank to do so. Zuko had tried to explain Fire Nation customs to him during their wait, and mostly everything had to do with rank. The only people that could question his actions were, in Zuko's case, The Royal Family and the Fire Lord.

Promptly after arriving at the Palace, the Fire Lord and Zuko's father requested to speak with Zuko alone, which gave Sokka time to marvel at the place. True, he couldn't wander around but he wasn't held captive in a cell either. He was left in the kitchens, and Sokka was actually having a good time.

Zuko, on the other hand, wasn't feeling that cheerful. He had been taken to the throne room, his father sat alongside him and his grandfather took the throne.

"We want to know why did you bring a foreign boy to the Fire Nation, especially without permission," Fire Lord Azulon said firmly.

"What you did was inexcusable!" his father raged.

The Fire Lord didn't take kindly on people speaking out of turn and snaped on Ozai. "Stop talking Ozai! Your son wants to speak!"

Silence settled but Zuko couldn't let it continue for long or else the Fire Lord would get angry. He knew that lying to him was a major offence but he also knew that he had to help the water tribe boy.

"Father always encourages us to bring home a souvenir from the places we visit, and if it's not us, he and Mother usually bring us something. I found him in one of our Earth Kingdom colonies. He told me his father was from the Water Tribe but he left him and his mother — who was a nonbender. Unfortunately, she perished from sickness and grief, leaving him alone for years. The boy was covered in rags when I found him so I gave him some of mine. The boy... he is not a threat," Zuko told the series of events they had come up with in the ship.

Fire Lord Azulon hummed. "Is there any other reason, Prince Zuko?"

Zuko hesitated. "I... I don't really have friends, grandfather. Azula has, and they pick on me or try to play with me but it is not the same. I just wanted a friend," he replied truthfully. That wasn't the primal reason for helping Sokka, but Zuko had to admit he did feel lonely.

"What is this boy's name?" Zuko wanted to grin, Fire Lord Azulon was considering to let him stay!

"Sokka."

"Then, Sokka will form part of the Royal Family from now on as your property and friend. He will attend only the finest school and be tutored on everything that due to his... circumstances was unable to learn," Fire Lord Azulon said with finality as Zuko noticed even in the dark his father's eyes twitching. Zuko didn't need Agni to tell him that his father didn't approve of Azulon's choice, but he would still do as he said.

Zuko considered it a win.

* * *

While Sokka didn't like being someone else's property, he had to give credit where it was due. Wanting someone as their property did sound like the sort of thing the Fire Nation would do, even though Zuko clarified to him privately that he didn't consider him any less. _Royal Family's friend_ was just his formal and regal title.

He was given the room that was the closest to Zuko's and a tailor came once or twice to measure him. It also was the first day he saw Zuko smiling. A real and happy smile; later, after Ursa's disappearance, Sokka would notice the beauty and rarity of his smiles, as he stopped doing them that often.

Zuko told him about his family in more detail; his awful sister, his loving mother and his strict father were subject of many stories, just like his uncle and cousin. In return, Sokka told him about his annoying sister, his impatient mother and his tough father. Despite his crude and harsh depictions, it was obvious from his tone that he missed them. 

"And I haven't told you about Gran-Gran! There was one time I didn't want to eat something that reminded me of mucus, and since Dad and Mom were doing chief-leader things we were left with her! She grabbed me by the ear and — "

"Wait," Zuko stopped with furrowed eyebrows, "your father was the leader of your tribe? You didn't tell me that."

"Heh, yeah, but if anything important comes up, he is kind of like the authority of all Southern Water Tribes," he said. "I didn't think that was important."

"Not important? That is the definition of the Fire Lord!" Zuko exclaimed. "Which means you are a prince! Oh, no. You are a prince! Do you know what that means?"

Sokka narrowed his eyes, shanking his head trying to understand what was the big deal.

"You could be considered a political prisoner; people would want to hurt you!" Zuko explained, at every word Sokka's concern grew more. "We have to stick more carefully to the plan, then. You were an Earth Kingdom peasant before I got you, is that understood?"

Sokka nodded, thinking how complicated his life became in so little time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that was short, but not every chapter can have the same length.
> 
> Next chapters will be several snippets at what is living in the Fire Nation for Sokka until the day Zuko is banished.
> 
> I hope that you enjoyed this chapter!


	3. Growing Up Together Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1/? of the little snippets of them growing up together. The snippets may not have happened in the order the chapters are presented; for example, in one of these they mentioned Lu Ten but I am going to write Lu Ten's meeting with them in the next chapter even though it happened before. Am I making myself clear or am I just confusing you? Please tell me so that I may explain it better.
> 
> Btw, Sokka is called Your Highness because he is part of the Royal Family.

_1) The sister_

The past couple of days had been a full-on rollercoaster for Sokka as he was now living away from his family in a crater of a volcano in the centre of the Fire Nation, the enemy to everyone who wished for freedom and with a climate way hotter than what he was used to, so excuse him if he had wanted to sleep until noon in a useless attempt at forgetting all that, the fact that his mother was actually dead and that he was probably not going to see the rest of his family ever again. But the hot temperature made him very sweaty and he quickly became uncomfortable.

Betrayed by his own body. Why couldn't his body get over the heat and be cool?

Also, a little girl he did not know was jumping on his bed while he was still in it.

"Wake up, servant! The sun is already up!" she chanted. 

He narrowed his eyes, his mind and filter still a bit asleep. "Who are you?"

"I am Princess Azula!" she smiled.

He could recall Zuko telling him something about a sister of his called Azula. He groaned, why did the girl had to wake him up this early? Zuko had told him that firebenders rose with the sun but hadn't taken it literally.

In his feeble state of mind, he only mumbled, "I am not a servant."

"Father said you were," she said, furrowing her eyes in confusion at the contraction of stories.

Zuko had told him how his father had opposed to him staying in the Fire Nation as no less than someone of the Royal Family so he couldn't say he was that surprised at hearing that Zuko's father had told his daughter that he was a servant. As far as he knew, his temporary official title was _Royal Family's friend_ but it didn't sound like a real title or even a cool one so nobody really knew where he figured in the social pyramid. But he was certain he wasn't a servant.

"You probably heard wrong," he finally said after thinking what wouldn't put him in trouble with her dad. "Your grandfather called me the Royal Family's friend, though I am technically just Zuko's friend."

She hummed in response.

"Look, he brought me from the colonies if you have a complaint, please tell it to Zuko."

It seemed that understanding dawned onto her. "So you're Zuko's? Last time I accompanied Father in one of his travels I brought a rock so it's mine, that means you are Zuko's. Right?"

"Legally, yes; but I like to think I am my own person," he replied truthfully and amazed at this little girl's pronunciation that he was sure was far better than his or any other kid at her age that he had ever heard. Zuko had not lied when he admitted his sister was like a small prodigy.

"Why were you not awake?"

"People in the Earth Kingdom don't wake up at the crack of dawn, Azula," he replied, more awake now.

Azula leaned in closer to his face as she sat down near his leg and Sokka looked at her with distrust. Before he could ask what she was doing, she commented, "Your eyes are pretty but they are not from the Earth Kingdom."

Tui and La, this girl was really perceptive for her age. "My dad was from the Water Tribe but my mom and I are from the Earth Kingdom," replied he.

"Where are they? Did they not want you? You can't be that bad if Zuzu and Grandfather agreed to take you in. I doubt Zuzu just took you away from home, he can't even bring a turtleduck from the beach knowing it has a family somewhere," her face screwed in a curious manner before being replaced with one of amusement.

First, what she said about the turtleduck was hella cute and way too specific for it to just be an example. Second, he knew Azula didn't ask the questions to be rude — she was just a curious kid after all and Katara was sometimes the same — but it had stung considering his mom had just died and he was not going to see his family ever again despite what Zuko had tried telling him.

"They died," he simply responded in a monotone voice.

Azula grimaced and pushed the hair our of her bun behind her ear. "So you were alone?"

"Yes."

"That sucks but at least you are here now."

* * *

_2) Writing_

The rays of the sun that entered through the window illuminated Sokka's failed attempts at learning the Fire Nation alphabet but, in his defence, it was harder than it looked. The Water Tribe alphabet had simpler, round characters while this one was more complicated. Unfortunately for him, if he was going to live in the Fire Nation, he needed to learn the language. And the Fire Lord himself had appointed him a tutor to help him catch up with the basics so he could join in with his peers next year at school.

"Write your name with the Earth Kingdom's alphabet," his tutor requested, pulling her blonde hair in a ponytail.

Thankfully for Sokka, the Earth Kingdom's alphabet was the most used around the globe and schools in his tribe taught it as a way to prepare the younger generations for the world. The Earth Kingdom script was neutral in comparison with the Fire Nation's and Water Tribe's, just a little bit messy, so it was easy to write his name as he was told.

"Now, do it with the Fire Nation one."

Sokka wrote, the brows in his forehead scrunching together in deep concentration. No one could say he didn't try.

"Good. The characters have stopped being that round and you are getting better, but it is not enough," she said, pointing at what she was mentioning as a way for him to notice his mistakes. "You see the spaces between the lines? The hesitation to do the lines in here?" She moved her hand upward the page and pointed at the foreign script. "The hesitation I can pass, but if I didn't know the language I would say it was from the Earth Kingdom. Only in their alphabet there is that much space in between the lines. You are royalty now and you have to look like one. Try again, this time write _'I can and will do better'_."

By the end of the hour, it was no wonder that his wrist ached. Thank Tui and La that his hand was much better at night because Zukko had asked him to teach him how to write _'in Water Tribe'_, according to him. Zuko, as it turned out, had a natural talent picking up foreign things, first him and then his tribe's writing. Although Sokka thought it was _not fair_ that he found it hard while Zuko had done it in an instant, he was glad he didn't have to correct him. Honestly, he didn't have the energy nor patience.

* * *

_3) Treason_

"I can't believe my sister teamed up with you against me! This is treason! Treason I tell you!" Zuko exclaimed with a laugh that diminished the effect of said threat while running and soaking wet, trying to escape the mud thrown at him.

Soka gave a loud and boisterous laugh as the mud he had thrown impacted right on Zuko's nape, making him trip over the air.

Azula giggled as he fell down. "We got you, Zuzu!"

"It's not fair! Azula promised that she was not going to get involved! You told me you were going to Ty Lee's!" Zuko pouted, crossing his arms.

"Ups, I may have lied about that but it was worth it!" she laughed, smirking. "Soso, did you see the look on his face when I threw that bucket of water at him? It was so funny!"

"I win!" Sokka said with a fist raised in celebration but it turned out to be too early to celebrate for the next thing he knew, Azula had thrown him a big mud ball at his face, making him fall right next to Zuko. "Urgh, Azula! You betrayed me!" he exclaimed indignantly.

Azula laughed with even more delight.

Zuko smirked and chuckled. "Now, you understand how I feel, Sokka."

"Now, don't be sore losers! I win, as always!"

* * *

_4) Echelons_

"How do I look?" Sokka asked, interrupting Zuko's reading. "The servants gave me this and I put it on all on my own! I think I look good but what do think? Enough to make a good first impression on those rich noble kids at school?"

Zuko placed the book carefully on his bed and turned to look at his friend who had just barged in his room. Sokka was wearing a Fire Nation red jacket decorated with yellow patterns half-way buttoned-up covering a sleeveless grey shirt dark red pants that were a little buggy and shoes definitely like his own. His hair was up in a ponytail with the royal hairpiece telling everyone on sight that he formed part of the Royal Family, even if his placement was a little confusing.

Zuko forced a grin. "You bet! I'm sure you'll... make loads of friends there."

His face must have given away his true thoughts because Sokka rolled his eyes and threw himself over his bed. "I am not gonna replace you, jerkface," he said staring at him. "Sure, I want to impress them but I like to impress people because they are people, not because they are from the high echelons of the Fire Nation. Plus, if I was aiming for that, I already have a prince on my side so mission accomplished."

Zuko looked relieved and confused at the same time, though the latter was more noticeable. "Echelons? Since when do you know that word?"

"Since Fire Lord Azulon wanted me to speak like a royal and ordered my tutors to teach me complex words and use them in sentences," he replied, gasping and putting an arm over his head dramatically. "I'll probably end up talking like a rich brat! Spirits! I'll talk like Lu Ten!"

They stayed in silence for less than five seconds before bursting in laughter.

* * *

_5) First day_

"Today we have a new mind ready for moulding. I do hope you treat him with the respect he deserves as a member of the Royal Family that he is," said the teacher with a serious face. "Please dear, introduce yourself."

"Er, I'm Courtier Sokka of Prince Zuko and I'm from the colonies in the Earth Kingdom," said he as he bowed to the teacher as his tutors taught him. He was glad the Fire Lord had finally settled on a title for him that was not lame even though it implied he was Zuko's.

The teacher gave him a curt nod. "I assume the Fire Lord assigned you some tutors to help you with your studies and your manners," she said.

Sokka nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yeah, they have been really intense and even made me memorise the Fire Nation Oath!"

"Perfect, now go to an empty seat," said she as Sokka walked to the left side of the classroom and stood as the others were doing behind their desks. The teacher followed him with her eyes as he positioned himself and then walked to her own desk, opening a book she said, "We will recite the Fire Nation Oath."

They automatically turned around to face the portrait of Fire Lord Azulon and recited word for word what they had memorised, giving the new kid a few curious glances from time to time. The class continued and Sokka had to bite back a few comments on what the teacher was saying but he had to say something when she mentioned that the Water Tribe's people were _not_ savages with no cultural heritage that preferred freezing to death than lighting a fire.

"That's not true," he said indignantly, not being able to stop himself this time. "Yes, the South Pole is very cold but that's why w- _they_ have fur coats and eat meals that warm you from the inside. Sometimes the fire is very hard to keep and can melt an ice structure if it is not done properly so the elders are the ones that normally watch over it and make sure the buildings nearby are not fragile."

"Excuse me for being intrusive, Your Highness, but how exactly do you know that?."

Sokka became flustered, all the people in the class had their eyes on him and although that had never bothered him, it increased the pressure on trying to find an excuse that didn't reveal the truth. He finally settled on, "Well, on my way to the Fire Nation the ship I was in made a stop in one of the Southern Water Tribes. I know I should've stayed aboard but I wanted to see how was it since, you know, I'm from the colonies in the Earth Kingdom and it was so different than what I'm accustomed to. There was this little girl, Katara, and she told me of a lot of things of her tribe and even gave me stewed sea prunes for lunch!"

It was good enough, Sokka patted himself.

She narrowed her eyes. "Perhaps the reports of the Water Tribe have not being updated but no matter, a savage will not define themself as one. And, if you want to speak, next time raise your hand. Royal or not you must follow the rules, are we understood?"

Sokka gulped down the bitter feeling on his tongue and nodded but before he could sit down or speak up again he was saved by the bell.

* * *

_6) Crazy girls_

It was a warm evening and Azula's friends, Ty Lee and Mai, had been allowed to go to the palace after school, and Ty Lee was showing her friends the new pirouette she had learned the day before.

"Look, Azula! Isn't it cool?" she laughed.

Azula pursed her lips, thinking. "I bet I can do it," she affirmed.

Ty Lee looked at her with excitement. "Really? That would be awesome, Azula! Can I see?" 

Azula nodded and tried to copy the manoeuver that Ty Lee had just done and did a good imitation for the first try but due to the lack of practice she fell to the ground with a grunt. Ty Lee smiled at her friend and did the pirouette again. It was fun until Azula stood up, pushed her to the ground and laughed. She always strived for perfection and would not settle for anything less than winning so when she was not immediately capable of success she retaliated in the way she knew how.

"Azula!" Ty Lee complained, looking at Mai for support but she was playing with her nails by the tree and said nothing.

Mai turned to her left and saw Zuko walking alongside his mother. He was wearing his usual outfit with his ponytail held high, his hair had grown a little since the last time she had seen him and she noticed he was thinking deeply about something, probably something his mother had told him. She wondered if that something had been her and blushed.

Azula noticed her friend's state and connected the dots. She leaned in Ty Lee — who had just stood up — and whispered, "Watch this."

Ty Lee giggled, knowing exactly what was happening.

Azula ran off to her mother and said in a sweet voice, "Mom, can you make Zuko play with us? We need equal teams to play a game." She shrugged, putting on the best innocent act she could. 

Zuko narrowed his eyes at her, it had been almost two years since Azula had genuinely asked to play with him. "I am _not_ cartwheeling," said he, leaning in the railing that separated the garden from the passage he was walking on.

Azula frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "You won't have to, cartwheeling's not a game, Dumb-Dumb."

"You can ask Sokka!" he insisted, though knowing she was not going to accept.

She sighed exasperatedly. "But he isn't here, and you know Father doesn't approve of me getting too close with him. He is yours, not mine."

"I don't care, I don't want to play with you!" he spat, serious. The last time he was tricked into playing with her, he ended up falling a tree with Sokka trying to help him stand and glaring at Azula. Thankfully, it wasn't a tall tree.

"We are brother and sister," Azula insisted, playing the role of a little sister who just missed her brother, "it's important for us to spent time together. Don't you think so, Mom?" She finished making puppy-canary's eyes at her.

Ursa sighed. "Yes, darling, I think it's a good idea to play with your sister," said she nudging Zuko gently as he glared at her. "Go on, now, just for a little while." She gave him a final smile and walked away.

Zuko's lip curled down as he walked to them, stopping next to Ty Lee and in front of Mai, and Azula started explaining the game.

"Here's the way it goes," she said grabbing an apple from a tree. "Now what you do is try to knock the apple of the other person's head," — she placed the apple on Mai's head — "like this." Azula moved in between Zuko and Ty Lee, and shot a flame at the top the apple with no intention of knocking it off.

The apple caught on fire, naturally, and Zuko sprinted to help Mai, not before giving Azula a nasty glare. Mai screamed in fear of having something on her head on fire, even more since she wasn't a firebender. Zuko tried to get it off her but they tripped and fell into the fountain behind Mai.

Azula laughed. "See, I told you it would work," she said to Ty Lee who was also smiling.

"Aw, they're so cute together," Ty Lee cooed.

Zuko decided he had had enough of this so he stood up and walked inside to dry himself off while Mai helped herself.

"You two are such, ugh!" she hurled.

Ursa was just getting to them and informed them that their uncle Iroh had sent them a letter from the war front. She frowned seeing Zuko. "You're soaking wet."

Zuko's only response was, "Girls are crazy!"

"If you see Sokka on your way, please tell him to come!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Azula was a child and was innocent at some point and you can pry that from my cold, dead hands. 
> 
> I know that the last snippet was straight up from the series but it's technically still their childhood so I just made a few comments here and there.
> 
> If you haven't read the notes at the beginning of the chapter, go right now so that you may understand how the snippets are going to work.


End file.
